Water scarcity is a looming problem and changing individual behaviour to
compensate is a key constituent of sustainability. Behavioural change is a
complex task requiring a combination of appeals, information, financial and
social influences, and barrier elimination efforts. Implementing these concepts
has been notoriously difficult, and it is only recently that advances in data access
and presentment have allowed for a program that encourages behavioural
change: providing a detailed, highly granular personalized understanding of
consumption patterns, which, combined with financial incentives and social
pressures, results in sustained resource conservation. Developing a rate design to
complement the demand destruction and ensure the financial health of the utility
is a vitally important component in achieving sustainability.
Keywords: water conservation, water sustainability, rate design, behavioural
change, smart grid for water, rebate threshold rates, water demand destruction,
price elasticity of water.